The present invention generally relates to the portioning of food product into portions having a predetermined size. In one aspect, the invention relates to forming cheese blocks of a predetermined size in a cheese block former.
Food products are often produced in portions of predetermined size, the size corresponding to a particular weight, e.g., a 1-lb block, 2-lb block and so forth. One food product that is typically produced in portions of predetermined size is cheese. Cheese block formers are commonly used to produce large blocks or block portions of a variety of types of cheeses (e.g., cheddar, colby, monterey jack, mozzarella, brick, muenster, among others). They generally do so by means of providing a tower or column having a large interior area. Various aspects of cheese block formers are generally known and are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,572,925 and 6,180,153 each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
At the top of the tower, a mixture of curd and whey is typically fed into the column under a vacuum. As the mixture flows down through the column, the whey is drained or otherwise extracted from the mixture. The curd, usually under its own weight, becomes a solid pillar of cheese as it flows in a downward direction through the column. More specifically, as the height of the pillar of curd increases within the column, the curd in the lower portion of the pillar is compressed by the weight of superimposed curd such that additional whey is pressed out of the pillar and the curd is consolidated into a compacted cheese pillar. The pillar or column of cheese is then cut into blocks using a cutting apparatus, such as a guillotine blade, often located adjacent the bottom of the tower. Thus, the cutting typically takes place near the bottom of the tower section. Following cutting, the cheese blocks are prepared for packaging and later shipment. A block former can be designed for independent operation and/or for operation in conjunction with one or more additional cheese block formers.
As noted above, cheese blocks are cut into a predetermined size to provide a block having a particular weight. Since the interior of the column determines a known, fixed space in which to permit cheese to flow down and through, obtaining a cheese block of the predetermined size can be accomplished by portioning or cutting the cheese column at a distance or height that corresponds to a predetermined height. Of course, this presupposes that the block formers effectively produce cheese blocks having consistent weights and uniform moisture content from block to block. Assuming this to be the case, an actuator in operative association with the block former causes the lowering of the cheese block the distance corresponding to the predetermined cheese block height. The actuator is typically located inside of a finishing station, which is often disposed adjacent, and usually below, the tower.
In the past, pneumatic actuators have been used to control and adjust the distance that the cheese block is lowered within the column to achieve a desired or predetermined height. These pneumatic devices, however, have been limited at least insofar as they have not provided a wide control range over which the block heights can be controlled or adjusted to achieve the desired weight. In addition, they have not provided the necessary control over the block lowering/raising speed as the block is raised or lowered to a height corresponding to the predetermined height. Servo-controlled linear actuators have also been utilized to control the block sizing operation. However, since servo-controlled linear actuators lack absolute feedback, they too have proven to be less than adequate in obtaining properly sized blocks of cheese (i.e., cheese blocks corresponding to the predetermined height). For instance, servo-controlled actuators require xe2x80x9chomingxe2x80x9d, meaning that they need to be brought to a known and repeatable position every time the power is turned off and back on again. In addition, servo-controlled actuators are typically quite complex and costly to implement.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to design a device that can provide properly-sized portions of food products, such as cheese. The device would ideally solve the aforementioned problems, thus allowing even rather large blocks of cheese, or other like food product portions, to be produced in a cost effective, rapid, and reliable manner. Such a device would ideally be rugged and easy to use, thereby permitting the cheese blocks or other food product portions to be produced with a minimum of apparatus downtime.
The present invention generally provides for the portioning of food products, such as cheese, into portions of predetermined size. More specifically, the invention provides for food product portioning which overcomes the aforementioned problems.
Various embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to: a cheese block former comprising a finishing station; a cheese block former for making large blocks of bulk cheese from a cheese curd mixture, the former having a finishing station; a cheese block portioning station; a finishing station for use with a food product; a food product portioning apparatus; a method of portioning a column of cheese to obtain a cheese block of a desired size; and a method of portioning food product at a predetermined size, among others.
Generally, a device, system, and method that permits a food product, such as cheese, to be portioned without the need for homing is provided. Accordingly, in one embodiment for food product portioning is accompanied by effectively and appropriately controlling the weight of food products, such as cheese, in response to the food product height. Flexibility is provided to an end user, as least one aspect of the flexibility characterized in that the end user can obtain a desired food product portion, the portion corresponding to a predetermined food product portion height. A system is provided that permits a food product to be portioned at a programmable speed. A properly-portioned food product, such as cheese, can be provided by an apparatus that permits an infinitely adjustable and programmable food product size corresponding to a programmable food product height. Portioning of a food product, such as cheese, is accomplished in a manner that is cost effective, simple to implement and operate, and rugged, so as to minimize any downtime.
Various other features and aspects of the embodiments will be made apparent from the following detailed description and the drawings.